×

OHIO VALLEY UNSUNG HEROES: For Rosnick it’s about family and baseball

POWHATAN — Baseball is timeless.

It’s players and fans that make it so.

John Rosnick is both.

The 66-year-old has seen the game from all aspects of the diamond. Now, he’s giving back to a second generation.

“It’s the only sport I’ve really played,” he said. “I love the game.”

Boone and Bell are names come to mind when discussing three-generations of big-league playing greatness. The Careys are usually brought up, too. Although they called the action, and continue to do so, from the press box.

No member of the Rosnick family has ever donned a Major League uniform. Still, the love of the game is equally entrenched in their heart. And it was the elder Rosnick who fostered it.

Starting as a youngster, Rosnick became enamored with baseball. Through the years, his son, Ryan, picked up the game. Now, Rosnick’s 9-year-old grandson, Zayne, is starting to carve out his own successful future in the sport.

“It’s hard to describe,” Rosnick said of the sense of pride he gets watching the youngster.

“I watched Ryan grow up. Now, I get to watch him. It just means to means the world to you. And, as well as he’s playing, it’s amazing. He understands the game.”

Rosnick is a baseball lifer. A broken arm early in life meant other sports were virtually off limits, so he’s maintained a life on the diamond since. He currently has a handful of roles, chief of which is working with his grandson’s team — the River Bandits.

“I keep the book and am like bench coach for them,” the Consol retiree explained. “I let Ryan and his buddies do the coaching, but I interject some things.

“What I try to do is instill some work ethic into the boys to make them excel in practice. Hopefully, it will stay with them as they grow older and get into adult life.”

And that’s really Rosnick’s aim; preparing youngsters for the future. Baseball is a means to an end.

“I always liked baseball because it was a team effort, but it was still individual enough where you had to perform” Rosnick said.

Keeping the book is nothing new for Rosnick, who graduated as part of River High School’s first class in 1970, as he performed the task for years for his son, who formerly served as Monroe Central’s head baseball coach.

But working with young kids brings him the most joy. In addition to helping mentor them, he makes it a point to preserve their memories.

“The one thing I’ve done the last two years is give the coaches and players a book at the end of the year which summarizes the year and also has stats,” he said. “They’ve seemed to enjoy that.”

Rosnick also keeps the field in Powhatan in tip-top shape, spending parts of about three days a week tending to it.

“We have fall ball coming up, so we need to keep it in good shape,” he explained.

Rosnick’s knack for grooming sport complexes has worked in golf, too. He’s kept Clair-Mar Golf Course looking pristine for a number of years.

“I do a little bit of everything there,” he said of the 9-hole layout which serves as the home course for the River and Shadyside high teams.

All in all, Rosnick is proud of what he’s been able to accomplish in Monroe County, and he thinks he has a few more years of knowledge left in him.

“I hope so,” he said chuckling.

If you know of someone in sports in the Ohio Valley whom I could feature as an Ohio Valley Unsung Hero, drop me a line at rthorp@timesleaderonline.com or via Twitter @RickThorp1

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today